Steering-wheel lock for motor-driven vehicles.



P. SZYULOWSKL STEERING WHEEL LOCK FOR MOTOR DRIVEN VEHICLES. APPLICATIONFILED SEPT. 1'4. 1917.

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L i E3 P. szYnLowsKl. STEERING WHEEL LOCK FOR IVIOTGR DRIVEN VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. I4,A I9I7.

Patented May 28,1918.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

P. SZYDLOWSKI. STEERING WHEEL LOCK FOR MOTOR DRI'VEN VEHICLES.APPucATloN 'FILED SEPT. 14. 1917.

1,267,476. Patented May 28,1918.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3- Fay] Chio/1mm,

SZYDLGWSK, 0F HAMTRAMCK, MECHIGAN.

STEEEENGJWHEEL LOCK FOR MOTOR-BRVEN VEHICLES.

Specncation of Letters Patent.

Patented May 28, ii.

Application iled September 14, 1917. Serial No. 191,330.

Vexact description of the saine, such as will l@ enable others skilledin the arty to which it pertains to make and use the same, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, which forni a part or thisspecification.y

My invention relates to a steering wheel lock for motor driven vehicles.

One object of this invention is to provide means whereby the steeringwheel of a vehicle may be rendered temporarily inoperative to actuatethe steering post in order that the vehicle may not be driven by anunauthorized person during the absence of the owner.

Another purpose ci' the invention is to avoid the necessity of eithermanually lift ing the steering wheel from its normal position withrelation to the steering post that it may be inade inoperative to steerthevehicle:-or of providing a divided steering post, with means adaptedfor uncoupling and coupling the` divided portions together to torni asingle unit that the post may be made operative or inoperative asrequired, and as employed by devices now in use.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention resides in the combination andarrangement of parts and in the details oit construction hereinafterdescribed and claimed, it being understood that changes in the preciseembodiment of the invention as herein disclosed may he made withoutdeparting from the spirit of the saine.

in' the drawing accompanying this speciiicatioiir- Figure l is afragmentary plan view of a steering wheel showing the graduated dial ofthe locking mechanism.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view through the hub of the steeringwheel, 'the steering post, and the locking b olts.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view through the steering wheel hub andlocking bolts..

F ig. i is a perspectivesectional view through the steering wheel hub,showing a ated bolts.

plurality ot slotted cup-shaped elements adapted to be nested togetherwithin the hub to control the action of the spring oper- F ig. 5 is afragmentary detail of the steeringpost showing' the steering wheel hubin section mounted thereon, and with the coasting locking elementshoused within the huh.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view oi" the locking head carried bythe steering post.

Fig. tifare perspective and cross-sectional detail views of the vspringwasher lodged between each of the cup-shaped disks of the lockingmechanism.

Fig. 7 is a planl viewv of a steering wheel, showing a modification ofthe locking mechanism.

Fig. 8 isacross-sectional view of the modification' of the lockingmechanism shown in the preceding ligure.

Referring now to the letters of reference placed upon the drawings,-

A, denotes a steering post of a motor driven vehicle, to the upper endof which is keyed an enlarged head B. The head B, is provided with astepped upper face over which is mounted aplurality of rotatable,inverted annular cup-shaped elements C, nested together; provided withco-acting arc-shaped slots c, of varying length, as indicated in F ig.l. D, indicates a spring washer .located between the respectivecup-shaped elements, keyed tc the enlarged head, to insure against theirrotation with the elements C.

B', are diametrically disposed transverse holes formed in the head,tapering slightly toward the steering post, from which extends adownwardly projecting slot B2. C, indicates slots in the side wall ofeach of the cup-shaped elements C, which are adapted to be brought intoopposition with the slots B2, upon the rotation of the elements C, aswill be hereafter eX lained.

E, designates a steering wheel, are its spokes and E2, is its hubadapted to lit over the enlarged head B, of the post. Carried by anddepending from the upper wall of the hub E2, is a pin F, extendingdownwardly throu h the arc-shaped slots c, of the elements to actuatethe latter.

Ggis a graduated disk-supported by the post against rotation, and lodgedin a recess formed in the upper wall of the hub E2,

that its outer surface may be flush therewith.

G', indicates a series 0I graduations on the upper wall ofthe hub E2, tobe read in conjunction with the graduated disk G. H, is a cap-nutsecured tothe upper end of the post. Projecting from the walls of thehubI E2, in diametrically opposite directions are sleeves E3, the innerwall surface of which Slightly taper toward the outer ends of thesleeves. Lodged within the sleeves are bushings I, the outer wall ofwhich tapers to correspond with the inner wall of the'sleeves, therebysecuring them against dislodgment. Housed within the bushings are springactuated bolts J, from which extend radial n's J projecting into slotsI', formed in the wall of the bushings. K, is a spring coiled around theprojecting stem J2, oi the bolt,

A one end ot' which bears against a shoulder between the bolt and itsprojecting stem, while its other end bears against the end wall of thebushing-I.

'Mounted on the stem J2, of the bolt is a slidable knob L,-held againstthe end of the bushing by a spring M, coiled upon the stem of the boltand bearingat one end against the wall of the knob; its opposite endbearing against a projecting disk M, secured to the stem of the bolt.L', is a disk secured to the knob to close the opening into the latter.

In the modication shown in Figs. 7 and 8, only one. spring bolt J, isemployed, but

tion of the device will (be readily understood.

lt will first be assumed that the steering wheel is in locked relationwith the steering post and that the owner of the vehiclev is about toleave the same and desires to render the steering wheel inoperative toguide the car that it may not -be driven laway during his absence by anunauthorized person. To elect this result the bolts J, are withdrawnfrom engagement with the enlarged head B, by grasping the knobs L, andpulling them in opposite directions against the action of Vthe springsK, until the end of the bolts are withdrawn from the enlargedhead. The

. wheelv is then given a-slight rotation, which forces the rotation ofthe cup-shaped elements C,-due to the swinging action of the pinF,-which projects through the radial slots in the several elements C,thereby disarranging theslots Q', in the side walls of the latter withreferenee'to each other and neer/rvs their previous opposition inrespect to the slots B2, formed in the enlarged head B. Thus the springactuated bolts J ,are held from returning to their 'former locked relation with the enlarged head of the steering. post; the steering wheelbeing free to turn upon the post, but having no control over the actionof the latter. To'ei'ect a locking engagement between the steering wheeland the post the several cup-shaped elements must first be shifted sothat the slots C, in their sidewalls, register with each other and inopposition to the slot B2, in the enlarged head. This result issecuredthrough the ac tion of the pin F, carried by the hub of the steeringwheel as previously explained. The arbitrary degree of rotation oi theseveral cup-shaped elements isjdetermined bythe adjustment of thegraduated disks with ret erence to eachother in a manner wellunderstood.

Upon'the slots G, of the cup-shaped. elements being brought intoopposition with the slots B2, of the enlarged head, the spring actuatedbolts J, will enter the holes B in the enlarged head, thereby lockingthe steering wheel in operative relation with the post.

To insure against the action of a mischievously inclined person who mayseek to strike the ends of the Vspring actuated bolts with a hammer forthe purpose of driving or otherwise indenting their opposite ends inthe-wall of the enlarged head, I have provided the spring actuated knobsL, which while adapted for the withdrawal of the bolts serves to protectthe outer ends of the bolts 'from maliciously applied blows. lt will beseen that the spring M, forcesthe knob when released against the end ofthe sleeves E3, whenthe bolts are in either their releasedor engagedposition, the end of the bolts being thus protected. l.

Having thus described my invention, what l claim is j l 1. `ln a deviceof the character described, a steering post, a steering wheel its hubsleeved upon the steering post, a spring actuated bolt carried by thehub of the steering wheel adapted to lock the wheel in operativerelation tothe post, and means operable by the rotary movement of thesteeringvwheel independently of the steering post for controlling theentryof said bolt into locked relation with the vsteering post.

2. In a device of the character described,

a steering post, a'steering wheel with its hub sleeved upon the post, aspring actuated bolt carried by the hubAv of the steering wheel adaptedwhen released to lock the wheel in operatlve relation to the post, meansoperable by the rotary movement of the steering wheel independently ofthe steering post for ,controlling the locking engagement of the springactuated bolt with the post,

and meansto secure the bolt in/its locked relation with .the post funtilymanually rea steering post having an enlargedl head, ay

leased.

3. In a deviceof the character described,

steering wheel having a hub "fitted, to the enlarged -head of the lpostand free to turn `thereon, spring actuated bolts carried by the hub ofthe steering Wheel adapted to lock the wheel to the p ost that it maycontrol the action of the latter, and means operable by the rotarymovement of `the steering Wheel independently of the steering postadapted to control ,the entry of the spring actuated bolts into lockingrelationwith the post.

4. In a Vdevice of the character described, a steering post,a steeringWheel mounted on l the steering post, a bolt carried by the wheel andadapted to lock the same in operative4 relation to the p ost, and meansfor controlling the entry of thebolt into locking relation with thesteering post, said means including a plurality of' rotary elementshaving registering means for forming a pas'-l sageway for the b olt,andmeans carried by the steering wheel and operable by the movement of thesteering wheel independently of the post to actuate said'rotary membersfor moving the same into and out of registering relation.

' 5. In a device of the character described, a steering post providedwith an enlarged A 4 head having oppositelydisposedtransverse openings,a plurality of independently operated rotatable elements mounted on saidhead having arc-shaped slots "of varying length and also transverseopenings adapted lto `be brought into registration with the transverseopenings in the enlarged head to admit ofi-the entry of a locking bolt,a steering wheel having a hub fitted to the enlarged head of the post.provided'with a downwardly directed pin extendingthrough the 'Aarc-shaped slots of the rotatable elements to operate the latter, springactuated bolts supported by said hub, a graduated dial carried by thehead, and graduations carried by the hub adaptedv to cordinate with thefirst named graduations to indicate the required 4arbitrary' degree ofrotation necessary to give to the wheel to bring the transverse openingsof the rotatable elements into registration with the transverse openingsof the enlarged head', whereby -thespring actuated bolts may enter tolock the steering Wheel to the post. l,

6. In a device'of the character described, a steering post provided withan enlarged head having oppositely disposed transverse openings, aplurality of independently operated .rotatable elements nested togetherabove said enlarged head having arc-shaped slots of unequal length andalso transverse openings adapted to be brought into regisjspringactuated bolts supported by the hub to. lock the steering wheel to thepost, slidable lknobs carried by the ends of the bolts adapted formanually withdrawing the latter from locking engagement with the A post,springs sleeved upon theA bolts to force lthe knobsV against the Wallsof the hub, and

means for indicating the necessary adjustment -to be given the steeringwheel whereby the several elements may be placed in condition to receivethe spring actuated bolts for locking the vwheel in operative relationto the post.

In testimonywhe'reof, I sign this specification in the presence of twowitnesses.

' PAUL SZYDLOWSKI.

Witnesses:

JOHN CoNsnnNE, Jr., SAMUEL E. THOMAS.

